The Right Time is Now
by SilverStarWing
Summary: Kagome, after throwing the Shikon at Inuyasha, is stuck in her time. Years later, she finds it hidden in a place someone knew only she could find. Her travel to the past once again brings ordeals between her and Inu. Chapter 5 Updated!
1. A New Way Home Part 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha in any way, shape, or form. I give all credit to the great Rumiko Takahashi.  
  
Author's Note: Another Inuyasha story... will I finish this one? I hope so. My ideas come to me as I write, so, like every other story, I have no idea where its going. If you, the readers, have any ideas to help the story out, I'll be sure to concider them and possibley use them in my story. I like my readers suggestions. Writing the stories how they want them tends to bring more readers in.  
  
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_  
  
There are times when I just sit and think of what could have been and what should have been. And then there are times when I just sit alone and think about him, and all that he did to me. Hurt me, scared me, protected me, cared for me, but never gave a single word that he loved me. What is a girl to do?  
  
Hi, I'm Kagome Higurashi. A few years ago my eyes were opened to a whole new world, literally. I was pulled down the ancient well on my family's shrine by a demon, and on the other side, in the Sengoku Jidai, I met a hanyou named Inuyasha. It ended up being that I was the reincarnation of his former lover, Kikyo, who, before her death, was the keeper of the Shikon no Tama, Jewel of Four Souls. Now I hold the responsiblity to find and collect the shards of the jewel that shattered because of my purified arrow.   
  
We met many friends along the way. Sango, the demon slayer, who later became my best friend and her pet cat demon Kirara. Miroku, a perverted monk with a wind tunnel in his right hand. Shippou, an orphaned kitsune who seemes to have adopted me as his mother. These were my traveling companions. We were all after the same thing, the Shikon shards, and the death of a hanyou known as Naraku, who at some point or another, runioned all of our lives.   
  
But, you probably already know the story. Sad ending really. Joyous for some, and miserable for others. Inuyasha defeated Naraku in the end and revenged Kikyo's death. Miroku's wind tunnel vanished, and Sango got her brother back. A happy ending? Not even close. Inuyasha chose HER over me; the dead priestess, the walking clay pot, a zombie who feeds on the souls of young women. Could it get any better? Oh, I'm sure it could, and it did. I announced my love to the dog demon, threw the jewel at him, and went home. And he never came back to get me. I was stuck in my time, alone, unloved, never to return.  
  
Chapter One: A New Way Home -Part. One  
  
The sun was shining and a few white clouds littered the heaven filled sky. A flock of birds flew over head chipping to one another. The day couldn't be any better. Kagome hummed happily as she walked through the park. It was Spring Break from her first semester in college and she planned on enjoying it.   
  
Off in the distance she heard a few shouts and a laugh. She looked around until she spotted the owener of the voice. It was a couple sitting in a row boat in the middle of the small lake. The man was splashing water at his girlfriend while she screamed in delight. Kagome rolled her eyes and continued down the path.  
  
She passed only a few more people walking, a couple of them on bikes, but other then that she was alone. Oh, how nice it was. The peaceful walk between the trees, the sounds of nature all around. The air wasn't as fresh, and she missed that, but-. Kagome shook her head to clear her thoughts. She wasn't here to think about that. She was there to NOT think about that. About HIM.   
  
She had only been to this park a few times before. Most of the visits were with her father before he had died. She had been much younger then. There had always been one place she wanted to go.   
  
She started at a slow jog, veering off the path and up a small slope of green. She paused at the top. It wasn't the tallest of all the little hills in the park, but it did just fine. In front of her was another small hill, and beyond that a rock fixture, looking as if it once been a cave, but had long since collapsed. A den purhaps, to a fox family. That was her destination.   
  
As a child, her father had never allowed her to veer this far off the path to go and explore. She had seen the rock once before, and it seemed to beckon to her, and now, more then over, it called to her. Taking a deep breath she started down.   
  
The more she approached, the more the feeling grew stronger. It was a familiar feeling, she just couldn't place where she had felt it before. A single thought came to mind, one of the past, but she quickly dimissed it. It couldn't possibley be.   
  
At the first strong pulse, she froze in mid-step. Her mind flashed the image of a pink crystal. The pulse hit again, even stronger then before. Kagome's eyes widened. She started a swift run to the rock. The pulses were starting to slow, then stopped all together when she reached out to touch the rock. She paused. Should she? Or shouldn't she? She did.  
  
Nothing.  
  
No more pulse.   
  
The feeling that the Shikon no Tama was near had vanished. She took a step back puzzeled. The feeling that the Shikon was near returned, but the pulses didn't. She reached out to the rock again and the feeling vanished.   
  
Kagome knelt down and started to move the loose rubble off to the side. It got a little tricky when she got to the larger boulders. She had to pause to think that one through. The boulders were about the size of three basketballs, much to large for Kagome to pick up and move herself. Kagome sighed and sat back on her huntches. She would have to get help if she wanted inside. But who to ask? And did she really want to retrieve what lay inside.  
  
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-__-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_  
  
"So what are we doing now, Kagome?" Hojo asked, as he and Kagome walked side by side down the curving walk.   
  
"I, um, lost something down this caved in rock at Ueno Park," Kagome tried to explain. "It's a jewel that's been passed down in my family for generations."  
  
"Just out of curiocity, how come you need me?" Hojo wasn't complaining or anything. He enjoyed Kagome's company. He still liked her, even though a few years back, she told him that they could never be a couple.  
  
"I don't want to tell Grandpa, and Mom would kill me if she found out." Kagome was getting better at this lying thing. "And the rocks are too heavy for me to move myself."  
  
"So I guess I'm the lucky guy you chose to help, huh?" He had a big smile on his face.   
  
Kagome nodded with a smile. "Of course!" She turned her head away from him and made a sour face. Sure, she liked Hojo, but, he could be so annoying some times.  
  
"Hey, is that it over there?" Hojo pointed across the park.  
  
Kagome nodded. "Yah. Lets hurry up." She started at a light jog. Softly the pulses came to her. The jewel was still there.  
  
Hojo quickly caught up with her as they assended the small hill before the cave. They paused to catch their breath.   
  
"How did you manage to lose this jewel down there?" Hojo asked, puzzeled.  
  
"I, uh, dropped it." Kagome blushed. She hated lying. But he couldn't know about her past.   
  
"Okay." He dropped the subject and started before her down the hill.   
  
The pulses were getting stronger as Kagome appraoched, but as she neared the rock itself, the pulses, like last time, stopped all together. She sighed. She didn't understand why it was happening.   
  
"Its looks like you've moved a lot already," Hojo commented.  
  
Kagome nodded. "I couldn't get the others loose."  
  
She stood back as Hojo knelt done to test the consintinsy of the small boulders. After a moment off assessing the situation, he looked behind him. He pointed to one of the rocks Kagome had previsoly pulled loose. "Hand me that, will ya?"  
  
Kagome picked up the rock Hojo had pointed to and handed it to him. Taking aim, Hojo smashed the smaller rock agiasnt the boulders, attempting to chip them loose. A little bit of debris started to fall. Soon, enough dirt had fallen out of the cracks, and Hojo was able to pull one of the larger boulders out. He threw it to the side.   
  
Kagome's eyes widened. She picked up a similar rock and knelt down, banging it agaisnt the boulders, imatating Hojo as he knocked the dirt loose.Soon, they had made a whole big enough for a person to go through. It was dark down in the little tunnel. Seen only to Kagome's eye was a light shade of pink light. The Shikon was glowing.   
  
Hojo reached down in his pack and pulled out a flash light. Kagome rested her hand on his arm.   
  
"I'll get it."  
  
"But what if there are snakes or incests down there?"  
  
Kagome shrugged. "I've dealt with worse." She took the flash light from Hojo and positioned herself in front of the whole. She got on her hands and knees. "I'll be back soon."  
  
All Hojo could do was sit back and nod as Kagome started down.  
  
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_  
  
It was dark, and the little bit of light that the flashlight produced didn't help much. The tunnel was long, and curved downward a few feet into the entrance. It was definitly a fox den. The air was kind of stale, and it took Kagome many short breaks to catch her breath. Kagome came to a fork in the tunnel. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Reopening them, she started down the right tunnel. That's where the very soft pulse and pink light emitted from in her mind.  
  
It didn't take her much longer after she passed the fork when she hit the end of the tunnel. Her knees were a little scrapped, and her hands raw. But she didn't care. The cave at the end of the tunnel was large enough for her to sit up with her legs crossed. Slowly, she passed the flashlight around the small cave. It was pretty much empty except for a claw mark on the left side of the wall, and a straw nest in by the back wall.   
  
Kagome made her way to the scractches on the wall. They were far larger then any fox, or kitsune for that matter, could make. She traced her fingers on the large marks. One thought came to her mind: Inuyasha. She pulled quickly away from the wall, as if her fingers had been burned by the touch. She craddled her hand to her chest. She shifted her gaze to the nest. The soft glow was emitting from it. Her heartbeat quickened. She moved a few feet closer to the nest and using the flashlight to see, peered inside.   
  
There it was.   
  
The Shikon no Tama. Jewel of Four Souls.   
  
It was just as she had left it. Whole, pink, and glowing.   
  
~*~*  
  
Flash Back  
  
"Kagome." A sigh. "I can't go back with you. Kikyo is still ali..."  
  
"No she isn't, Inuyasha! She's dead! She's been dead for over 50 years!" Tears were flowing down her cheeks and soaking into the ground.   
  
"Kagome... I... "  
  
"I loved you, Inuyasha! Through everything! I loved you. I loved you even when you choose her over me all those times." She paused. She was crying hard, almost hypervintalating. "You can have her for all I care anymore! It's over! Our friendship is over!" Kagome reached up and tore the gold chain off her neck that held the Shikon. In all her rage she threw the jewel at him.   
  
Then turned and ran.  
  
The last thing she heard before she jumped down the well was a very soft "I'm sorry." Then the starry blackness enveloped her.  
  
~*~*  
  
Kagome blinked, a few tears starting to run down her cheeks. She quickly wiped them away.  
  
She looked around the small cave one last time. There were no indications as to why the jewel had been down there, or how it had gotten there in the first place.   
  
Didn't Inuyasha ever make his wish? If so, the jewel should have been purified. But here it was, whole, and unpure as the day it was pulled from her body.   
  
And why hadn't any other demons come looking for the jewel. How long had it been down there? Day? Months? Years? Century's perhaps?  
  
Maybe Sango and Miroku knew she couldn't return without it. Maybe it was a sign from Inuyasha that he wanted her back? So many possiblites. And so much she had to think about.  
  
Should she return? To see Inuyasha again? But what if something had happened to him? What if he needed her? And what of Shippou and Kaede? Something had to be wrong. She could feel it. Something wasn't right, and the jewel knew the history. It had been there. It was the key. The key to the past, to Kagome's future. But should she go? She belonged to this time.   
  
Kagome was confused. She didn't know what she should do, so she just sat there and cried. 


	2. A New Way Home Part 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha in any way, shape, or form. I give all credit to the great Rumiko Takahashi.  
  
Author's Note: No one gave me any ideas for this chapter, so that's why it took so long to get it out. I had to come up with this idea all by myself, which I did okay on if I do say so myself.   
  
Again, any ideas are appriciated. And sorry for any grammer or spelling errors. I don't have spellcheck. I have to use stupid Windows Wordpad.   
  
Ok... on with the story.  
  
Chapter One: A New Way Home -Part Two  
  
Dark clouds had covered the blue sky for the short time Kagome had been down in the cave. It was now pouring, like her tears earlier.The weather seemed to reflect the way Kagome was feeling.   
  
Hojo had walked the quiet girl home, not understanding what had upset her. Kagome insisted she was fine, just feeling a little ill from being down there for so long. Hojo promised to bring her some herbs the next day to help her feel better.  
  
Now Kagome sat under the Goshinboku. The leaves of the great tree caught most of the rain, keeping her mostly dry. She wasn't crying. She had already done that. She just kept her back to the tree and starred out toward the well house. She had the jewel. She had the power she needed to go back in time, but did she really want to?   
  
I'm afraid. What if Inuyasha rejects me again? What if the jewel was left for me because something had happened to him? I should go back, I need to go back. But I'm afriad. I don't think my heart could handle it. Not a second time.   
  
~*~*  
  
"Kagome... I..."  
  
~*~*  
  
Inuyasha had looked sad. But why? Wadn't he been glad? The war was over and he could go back to Kikyo. So why had he looked sad when he said her name. And why had his voice lowered significently? Was he truly sad? Hurt maybe?  
  
Kagome shook her head. She didn't want to think about it. It had been the last she had seen of Inuyasha. And it had not been a good goodbye. She didn't even get a chance to say goodbye to the others.   
  
But Inuyasha never did come back for her. He never came to get her. So maybe he didn't want her around.   
  
And those were the negative thoughts that ran through her head. Kagome cried again. Not for what she missed, but for her courage. She would need it to go back.   
  
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-  
  
She sat on the floor of her bedroom, slowly packing her backpack. A few pairs of clothes, bathing supplies, a first aid kit, and food. Paticularly ramen and chips.   
  
Kagome put in the finishing items just as there was a knock on her door.  
  
"Kagome, Honey. Your going to be late for school if you don't hurry up," her mother said from the other side of the door.   
  
"Hai, Momma. I just finished putting my books away." Kagome stood up and grabbed her bag. She almost dropped it the moment she lifited it. It was heavy!  
  
Kagome opened the door to find her mother still standing there smiling at her. Her smile quickly turned to one of amazement. "Oh my, you must have a lot packed in there."  
  
Kagome nodded. "Books that I borrowed from the library for my research paper. I'm returning them today." Kagome scooted out her bedroom door, careful to shut it.   
  
"Well, breakfast is on the table," Ms. Higurashi said, smiling again, hands folded on her apron.  
  
"That's okay, Momma. I'm not really that hungry." Kagome started down the steps. She paused half down and turned to look back at her mom. "Bye, Momma. I love you."  
  
Ms. Higurashi nodded and Kagome took off down the rest of the stairs before her mother could say another word.  
  
Kagome passed through the living room on her way out the front door. Souta was sitting on the couch watching cartoons. "Bye, Squirt."  
  
"See ya."  
  
Kagome shook her head and made to put her shoes on. Opening the door and peering outside, Kagome saw her grandfather at the Goshinboku. His back was to her and to the well. She made a mad dash. She quickly crossed the few yards of the shine and slid open the well door. Still spoting her grandfather at the tree, she slipped inside and left the door just slightly ajar. That way, they would know where she went when they came to look for her.  
  
Kagome paused in the well house. The little bit of light that streamed in through the crack in the door was just barley enough for her to see. Many memories came flooding back to her. Of all her trips back and forth through time, and all the times she sat by the well afterward, crying for what she had lost.  
  
Right then all the determination and courage she had dropped. She started to shake and take deeper breaths. Kagome had to grab onto the lip of the well to keep steady. She was afraid. Afraid of many things.  
  
What she might find in the past.  
  
Afraid that Inuyasha and the others were gone. Or perhaps even the village.  
  
Afraid that Inuyasha would still be with Kikyo.  
  
Afraid that things had gone all wrong after her departure.   
  
But then the happy thoughts came to mind.  
  
Maybe they were waiting for her to return. Maybe everyone was sitting around the well, waiting for Kagome to poke her head up through the top.   
  
Kagome was scared. Of what would happen when she got there. She didn't want to be rejected again. Her heart couldn't take it. But it had been 2 years since her departure.  
  
But Kagome didn't have much of a choice. The little pink jewel closed so tightly in her right hand started to pulse. The well started pulse in rythem. And then the next thing she knew demon claws reached up out of the well, grabbed hold of her middle, and pulled her down the well, and back to a time she had never forgotten.  
  
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_  
  
"Is she going to be alright?" a small voice asked.   
  
"Ei, child. She will be just fine. Just shocked." An older voice.  
  
"Oh, I hope so," a younger female sighed.  
  
"Aw, Sango. How concerned you are."  
  
"Shut up, Hoshi." A pause. WHACK!  
  
Kagome groaned, the voices from the outside slowly drawing her from her slumber.   
  
What time is it anyway?  
  
Kagome pushed herself up off the futon she laid on and blinked open her eyes. The sun was bright, steaming in from a window on the far side of the room.  
  
What happened? Where am I?  
  
"Kagome!" a child shouted.   
  
And the next thing Kagome knew she was being hugged to death. She looked down to see a tuff of orage hair and fox tail waging happily.  
  
"Shippou?" Kagome was puzzeled. What is he doing... Then it hit her like a ton of bricks.   
  
The claws, that certainitly belonged to a demon had pulled her down the well. She couldn't remember anything after that.  
  
"Is see that you are awake, child," the older voice spoke again.   
  
Kagome turned her head to see the old priestess Kaede sitting next to her, and behind her, a concerned looking Sango, and Miroku, with a nice red mark on his right cheek.   
  
"What happened?" Kagome asked, finally finding all speach.  
  
"What do you mean, what happened? You came back!" Shippou released her and sat back and smiled, a very large grin plastered to his face.  
  
"Much has gone on in the past three years that yeh have been gone, Kagome," Kaede said.   
  
"And much more shall happen, I'm sure," Miroku said seriously.  
  
Kagome looked up at the monk. "What do you mean?"  
  
"You brought the Shikon back with you, did you not?"  
  
Kagome nodded and realized that the Shikon was no longer clucthed in her hand.  
  
"Don't worry," Sango said, kneeling down. She held her hand out. "Here it is."  
  
Kagome took the jewel. "How?"  
  
Sango looked at Miroku with a worried expression on her face, as if there was a secret Kagome wasn't supposed to know.  
  
"Inuyasha," she said. One word. One name. That's all it took.  
  
"Oh." Kagome turned her head and starred out the window, hoping she would see the hanyou sitting on the tree outside, but glad that he wasn't there.  
  
Kagome yawned all of a sudden, trying to mask her hurt and terrified feelings. "How long was I out?" She turned back to face her old friends.  
  
"A few hours," Kaede said.   
  
Kagome could only nod. She didn't know what to say to the people she had abruptly left without a goodbye two years ago. Her gaze fell on Shippou, who sat there, a nuteral look on his face. Kagome smiled. "I'm glad to be back."  
  
Shippou's face lit up with a smile.   
  
"So am I."   
  
Kagome froze at the very familar voice. She turned her head to see him sitting agaisnt the doorframe that led outside. His head was down, not looking at her.   
  
Those three words hung in the air. So many feelings went cascading through Kagome. Hope. Hurt. Rejection. Depression. Anger. And though, four of the five feelings were negative, the single little bit of Hope that Kagome felt rose above all others. Another feeling came to her. Fear. Of doing it all over again.   
  
"Inu...yasha." A whispear, more like under her breath. But the hanyou heard it. He looked up at her, his golden eyes sad. A slight sparkle. Tears?  
  
Kagome couldn't take it anymore. She threw herself face first back onto her futon, hugging her pillow close to her face and cried.   
  
Miroku motioned for everyone to leave the room. This was a difficult time for Kagome, and she would need time alone to think. 


	3. Reunion

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha in any way, shape, or form. I give all credit to the great Rumiko Takahashi.  
  
Authors Notes: Well, this story is going faster then I had originally planned. But that's okay. I still have yet to get a single suggestion from any of my readers, so I'm just going with the flow and making things up as I go along. Fun, ne?   
  
Chapter Two: Reunion  
  
Kagome sat alone, her feet dangling in the cool water of the stream. It was the next day, the sky a bright blue, just the oppisite of when she had left her time. A slight breeze breathed through the air, just slightly chilling her.   
  
The only person Kagome had seen since the episode yesturday had been Kaede. They had small talk, and Kagome was fed, but nothing was mentioned about Inuyasha, the jewel, or why Kagome had come back. Kagome was greatful. She didn't feel up to talking about Inuyasha.  
  
Now, though, her curisoity was getting the better if her. She wanted to find out who had hidden the jewel and the purpose of her being here. It couldn't be that they just missed her. Something had to be up.   
  
"Kagome?" came a soft female voice.  
  
Kagome tilted her head back to see Sango walking up with two towels in hand.   
  
The demon exterminator smiled. "How you feeling?"  
  
Kagome turned her head back and starred across the river. "Better, I suppose."  
  
Sango nodded as she sat beside her. She kicked her sandles off and joined her own feet in the cool water. "So have have you been, I mean, all this time?"  
  
Kagome smiled sadly. "I'm sorry, Sango, that I didn't get to say goodbye." Kagome looked at her.  
  
Sango smiled. "It's alright. I probably would have done the same thing." She paused in mid thought. "Ok. Wait. I already have."  
  
Kagome looked at her puzzeled.  
  
Sango laughed. "Hoshi-sama."  
  
Kagome's eyes widened. "You and him...?"  
  
Sango nodded with a blush. "It happened a few months after you left. He was flirting with a villiage girl, and well, I guess I got kind of jealous. Next thing I knew I was running away crying with him chasing after me."  
  
Kagome smiled. "That's great. I'm so happy for you, Sango. I wish I could have been around for the wedding."  
  
Sango laughed. "What wedding?"  
  
Kagome starred at her dumbfounded. "You two... didn't get married?"  
  
Sango shook her head. "Nope. I told Hoshi that I wasn't going to get married without my bestfriend by my side."  
  
"And who..." Kagome paused in her train of thought. "Me?"  
  
Sango nodded. "I don't know how you did it, but your here now, so when things start to settle down..."  
  
"You mean, you don't know how I got here?"  
  
It was Sango's turn to look puzzeled. "Well, I'm gussing it was the Shikon you had, but since the last person to own it was Inuyasha..."  
  
"I found it."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
Kagome pulled her feet from the stream and dried them off with the towel Sango provided. "Back in my time. I found the Shikon hidding in an old cave." She paused and looked around to get her barring. She pointed off to the west. "About a day's walk or so from here."  
  
"I wonder how it got there." Sango also dried off.   
  
Both girls stood ready to head back to the village.  
  
"What..." Kagome paused, not sure how to phrase her next sentence. "I mean, what DID Inuaysha do with the Shikon, after I left?"  
  
Sango looked at her with all seriousness written on her face. "He made a wish."  
  
Kagome stoped on the trail. "What?"  
  
"He made a wish." Sango stopped to look back at her.   
  
"Then if the jewel was purified... how?"  
  
"I don't know." Sango looked toward the village and back at her. "He never told any of us what the wish was."  
  
Kagome nodded and started walking again, Sango along side her.  
  
"Sango?"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"Can I ask you a question?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Will you tell me the truth, no matter what?"  
  
Sango stopped, both were just outside the village.   
  
She sighed. "What do you want to know?"  
  
"Are Inuyasha and Kikyo...."  
  
Sango looked questioningly at Kagome. "Kagome, Kikyo's been dead, for the last time, 2 and 1/2 years now. After you left... so did Kikyo."  
  
"You mean, she was finally laid to rest?"  
  
"I'm not sure. All Inuyasha ever said was that she was where she belonged. We all just assumed she was... well... dead."  
  
Kagome nodded. They started into the village. A few people who reconized Kagome bowed to the priestess as they walked toward Kaede's hut.   
  
"Well..." Kagome said, turning to Sango with a smile. "Better get that wedding on the way." Kagome giggled and poked Sango in her gut.   
  
Sango's eyes grew wide. "You know?"  
  
Kagome nodded. "Of course."  
  
"Know what?" Shippou came bounding out from behind the hut, a red ball in his hands. A few village children ran past, waving their goodbyes to the little demon. Shippou waved back.  
  
"Nothing," Kagome smiled.   
  
Sango sighed. "I must go find Hoshi and talk to him about it then." She hugged Kagome suddenly. "I'm glad your back," she said into her ear.   
  
Kagome nodded in the hug. "Me, too, Sango. Me, too."  
  
_-_-_-_ _-_-_-_ _-_-_-_ _-_-_-_ _-_-_-_   
  
"Kagome-sama."   
  
Kagome stood from where she knelt with the village children to address the monk that had called her.  
  
"Miroku. Congradulations." Kagome beamed at him, her hands behind her back.   
  
A slight blush reached his cheeks. "Um..." he coughed. "Thanks." Then to lighten the mood, he stuck his arms out as if to hug her. "How about a hug on your return?"  
  
Kagome eye'd him, one eyebrow raised. "And be groped by you?"  
  
Mirkou laughed uneasily. "Of course not."  
  
Kagome just shook her head, a smile on her face. "It really is good to be back."  
  
Miroku came to stand beside her, and the two started walking side by side through the village, no destination in mind.  
  
Silence hung in the air as they walked. Kagome looked down at Miroku's uncovered hand.  
  
"So how does it feel knowing you won't be sucked up anymore?"  
  
Miroku gave her a weird look then laughed. "Great, really. Knowing your not going to die any time soon due to a black hold in your hand really brightens your day."  
  
Kagome giggled. "I'm happy for you. And Sango."   
  
"And I wish we could be happy for you," he said softly.   
  
Kagome gave him a puzzeled look.  
  
"I know it must be hard for you to return here."  
  
Kagome just nodded. Miroku had always been there for her, to help her and give her advice; even before and after Sango had joined the team. He was a good friend.  
  
"You've been avoiding him, havn't you?"  
  
Kagome nodded again.   
  
The two came to the edge of the village. Just down the small hill in front of them was the rice crops. A few woman could be seen picking, and there were a few children off to the side flying a kite.   
  
Miroku turned around to face the village still speaking as Kagome watched the villagers below.   
  
"You'll have to confront him at some point, Kagome."  
  
"I know," Kagome said softly.   
  
"Inuyasha never did tell us what happened between you two."  
  
Kagome shook her head as if clearing her thoughts. "He opened his big mouth again." She paused. "And he never came to bring me back."  
  
Miroku nodded in understanding, even though he knew Kagome wasn't watching him.   
  
"I'm be afraid, too."  
  
"What?" Kagome turned to look at him.   
  
He looked down at her. "To come back to the place where I knew the one I love betrayed me. I'd be afriad."  
  
"But I never said...." But she was interupted.   
  
"You didn't have to say anything. I know it, Sango knows it. And in some small part in the back of his mind, I think Inuaysha knows it, too." Miroku put a hand on her shoulder.   
  
"You can't run forever."  
  
Kagome nodded. "Miroku?"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"What... what happened between Inuyasha and Kikyo... after I left?"  
  
Miroku sighed. "He went and saw her..." Miroku looked at the depressed features on her face, "... one last time."  
  
Kagome looked at him not knowing what to think, or what to say for that matter.  
  
"It all happened the same day you left. He came back to the village and said Kikyo was gone for good. He never did elaberate." A pause. "And he had the jewel. That's how we knew you wouldn't be coming back."  
  
Kagome nodded. "I... I threw the jewel at him. It rightfully belonged to him anyway. And I went home." Kagome wiped a few tears away that had started to leak. "I figured he could have the jewel, he could have Kikyo, and somewhere in the back of my mind, I hoped that maybe.... just maybe.... he'd forget about all that and come get me. But... but he never did." Kagome choaked in a snob. "I'm sorry," she said softly.   
  
"Don't be sorry," Miroku said, pulling the small girl into his arms. And there Kagome cried. She cried like the day she had left the Sengoku Jidai. When she had left everything and everyone she loved behind.  
  
"Oh, Miroku!" Kagome cried, falling to her knees, bringing the monk with her. "I was so stupid. I told him I loved him. Why did I love him?" Kagome caught a few snobs before continuing. "If he never cared about me, then why did he always save me from danger? Why did he ever let me get close? Why did he get so jealous with Kouga around? I don't understand him. Did he love me or Kikyo?"  
  
"Kagome..." Miroku sighed. "I'm not taking sides." He helped her up, her crying slowly ababting. "But try to look at it on his point of view. A hanyou who nobody has ever loved. Then Kikyo, and her betrayal. And then you, who looks so much like Kikyo, yet, is nothing like her." He paused.   
  
She sniffled.  
  
"Think about how he must have been confused. Since the very begginning." Another pause. "I think Inuyasha is just afriad. He'd been betrayed before. What's to say it wouldn't happen again?"  
  
"But I wouldn't..!"  
  
"But does he know that?" A sigh. "Kagome. I think the only way to get things straight between you two would be for you to approach him about it. He knows how you feel. Go find out how he feels."  
  
"But... but I'm afraid."  
  
"Of what?"  
  
"That... that he'll hate me, tell me he doesn't feel the same...."  
  
"But then you'd never know unless you actually said something to him."Miroku looked off into the distance, toward the BoneEaters Well. "And if all fails, you always have your home to go back to."  
  
  
  
Kagome nodded. She wiped her last tear away. "Thank you, Miroku."  
  
He smiled down at her. "Anytime. And hey, don't worry too much. Everything will be alright."  
  
"How can you be sure?"  
  
He shrugged. "Just a feeling I have."  
  
Kagome nodded, a small smile playing on her lips. She looked up into the blue sky. It was a little after noon. She had plently of time to find Inuyasha. And she knew where he would be. It was time for for to approach him. 


	4. The Fall of Old Friends Part 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha in any way, shape, or form. I give all credit to the great Rumiko Takahashi.  
  
Authors Notes: I know its a short chapter, but it does end in a little bit of fluff! I want to thank hanyou-elf. Your reviews have given me inspiration to keep this story going longer, plus updating "The Future is Where it Ends". Keep those reviews coming. I shall be updating soon.   
  
There will be some, if not alot, of Fluffy-ness next chapter. I promise!!  
  
Chapter 3: The Fall of Old Friends- Part 1  
  
Kagome was sure he would be at the Goshinboku. That had always been his hiding spot. A spot for him to think and hide from the world. It was also the said tree that he had been pinned to for 50 years.   
  
But he wasn't there.  
  
Kagome frowned. She was sure he would be there. And if not there, then where? Perhaphs the well? It would only take a few minutes to walk there. She should check it out at least.   
  
Turning in the other direction she started for the well, a place she was all too familar with.   
  
It was quiet in the forest. On occasion there would be a chirp from a bird overhead, or the rusling of leaves on the forest floor as little animals hurried to move a distance away from the trail.   
  
Kagome paused.  
  
She looked down at her feet, back the way she had come, then back toward the direction she was walking.   
  
A well walked trail. No weeds or overgrown plants. Just dirt and the occasional fallen leaf. After two years, the trail from the Goshinboku to the well should have been hidden with foliage. But no. It was still well worn in.   
  
  
  
"Inuyasha?" Kagome whispeared under her breath. Had the dog demon, or rather, hanyou, used the trail often enough to keep it in the same state as when she had been there. But what reason had he to go to the well? Not for her, obviously.   
  
Kagome picked up the pace, the path leading her to the open field that housed the well. She paused just outside the glade and looked around for any sign of him. Nothing. Not even a single piece of silver hair.  
  
Kagome signed and made her way to the well. She peered over the edge and down to the bottom. No Inuyasha. Of course not. Why would he be in the well. The idea made her laugh.  
  
"Your not going back so soon, are you?"  
  
Kagome spun around.   
  
Shippou looked like he was about to cry. "Please don't leave, Kagome. You just got here."  
  
Kagome smiled. "Of course I'm not leaving." She knelt down to his eye level. "I still have unfinished buisness to do."  
  
"Like Kikyo. And she's gone now."  
  
Kagome's smile faded at that name. "Yah." She stood up. "Like Kikyo." Kagome looked out toward the horizon.   
  
"Are you looking for Inuyasha, Kagome?" Shippou looked in the same direction.  
  
Kagome nodded. "Yah. I was. I wanted to talk him." She looked down at Shippou. "It has been 2 years."  
  
Shippou nodded. "He said something about a wolf before he left the village a little while ago."  
  
Kagome looked at him, a surprise look on his face. "Kouga?"  
  
Shippou shrugged. "I don't know. I smell other demons, but nothing dangerous." Shippou proved his point and sniffed the air. His head turned to the oppisite side of the well, facing away from the village. Shippou pointed. "Inuyasha went thay way. But the scent is a few hours old."  
  
Kagome smiled and patted the little demon on his head. "Thanks, Shippou." She knelt down to his height. "If you want, I have some goodies in my bag back at Kaede's."  
  
Shippou's eyes lit up. "For me?!"  
  
Kagome nodded. "Some of the chocolate is. Don't eat it all though. Save some for everyone else, promise?"   
  
He nodded and started to bound away.   
  
"And don't spoil your dinner, Shippou!" Kagome called to him.  
  
"I won't! I promise!" And then the little kitsune was gone. A few leaps here and there, and he was over the small hill and down the trail that led to the village.   
  
Kagome sighed with a smile on her face. Kids will be kids.  
  
Taking a deep breath, Kagome turned to look over the horizon, in the direction Inuyasha had gone earlier. A flock of birds suddenly squaked and flew up into the sky from the forest. Something was going on.   
  
And if it was Kouga and Inuyasha, someone would have to be there to stop them. Kagome started at a slight jog, picked up speed, and began to run. She wasn't sure what Inuyasha would do to Kouga, especially since he no longer had the Shikon shards. Things could get messy.  
  
_-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-_  
  
A few slashes here, a few scratches there.   
  
A broken arm and a cracked skull.  
  
Shreaded clothing.  
  
And only one remained standing.  
  
This is what Kagome walked in on. It was a little more then she expected, but both were demon. They would heal, after she beat them up herself for their stupidity.  
  
Kouga stood, barley, in the small clearing that was made from their fight. Fallen trees and unlevel dirt made up most of what she was standing in.   
  
Inuyasha was leaning agaisnt one of the tree trunks struggling to stand, putting his weight on his sword, which, for some reason, was still in its sleath.   
  
Kagome could only glance at the two dismayed. They had yet to notice her. She had to be down wind.  
  
"When I get up..." Inuyasha growled.   
  
"IF you get up," Kouga sneered. He took a few threatening steps forward.  
  
Kagome had seen enough. "Stop it this instant!"   
  
Both heads turned to look at her in surprise.   
  
"Ka... Kagome!?" Kouga turned his back to Inuyasha to face her.   
  
"Don't you dare touch her!" Inuyasha cried, finally getting up, weighing his body on his sword with his good arm.  
  
"Inuyasha. Kouga. What is this all about?" Kagome took a few steos toward Inuyasha, but Kouga moved to block her way.  
  
"I knew you had come back, I felt the Shikon, and dog turd here wouldn't let me into the village." Kouga threw a evil glance at Inu.  
  
"That's because your not welcome in MY forest, or the village that surrounds it." Inuyasha took a few steps forward.  
  
Kagome's heart dropped a little and was replaced my anger. She was hoping he was going to make a remark about HER, and not wanting Kouga to be around.  
  
"That's enough, Inuyasha. Kouga is a friend. He helped us defeat Naraku." Kagome placed her hands on her hips.  
  
Inuyasha's eyes widened in surprise.Then he glared at her. "Keh." He turned away.   
  
The cornors of Kagome's lips turned up slightly. Oh how she missed him.  
  
Kouga attempted to take a few steps forward to embrace Kagome. But the large wound on the side of his head prevented him from getting there. He stumbled and fell to one knee. He couldn't hold much more of his weight, and eventually had to go on hands and knees.   
  
He lost. Inuyasha still stood.   
  
Kagome shook her head. "I should feel pity," Kagome started, "but Inuyasha's right. You shouldn't have come into his territory."  
  
Kouga lifted his head to look at her questioningly. "Your on his side?"  
  
Kagome nodded. "Sorry, Kouga." Kagome glanced up at Inuyasha. He was looking at her, but as soon as she looked up at him, he turned his head away. She smiled.  
  
"You should head back to your pack. It was nice to see you again, Kouga." She stepped past him and up to Inuyasha. She grabbed his good arm and started to gently pull him back toward the village.  
  
"Wha..?"  
  
Kagome looked up at him with a smile. "We have to get you fixed up. You have a broken arm, silly."   
  
Inuyasha gave no protest. He let her lead him along.   
  
As they walked, the hand that Kagome kept on Inuyasha's arm slid down to rest in his larger palm. Silence kept both their minds wondering, and a tighter grip on the small hand kept the small girl smiling. 


	5. A Rekindeled Friendship

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha in any way, shape, or form. I give all credit to the great Rumiko Takahashi.  
  
Authors Notes: As promised, a little fluff added to the sad, sad story. And its kind of a cliff hanger. Sorry.. just couldn't resist. Hope you enjoy it anyway! ^^   
  
Chapter 4: A Rekindeled Friendship  
  
"Damnit Bitch!" Inuyasha swore. "That hurts!"  
  
Kagome frowned. "Well it wouldn't hurt so much if you would just sit..."   
  
THUNK!  
  
"... sorry."  
  
Kagome sighed and sat back on her huntches, waiting for the suduing spell to wear off, all the while Inuyasha cursed under his breath.  
  
Outside, the rest of the gang sat under the window, listening in on the conversation that was being held inside.   
  
At the sound of the crash that was Inuyasha, Shippou let out a small giggle.  
  
"Shhh," Sango hushed the boy. "They might hear us."  
  
Miroku sat crosslegged against the wall. "Not much Inuyasha could do at this point, but once he heals, we could be in big trouble."  
  
Shippou nodded excitedly. "This is just so great. I mean, they're alomost acting normal around each other now."  
  
"Define normal." Sango narrowed her eyes.  
  
"What are ye doing?"  
  
All three screamed and turned to face the owner of the voice. Kaede stood looking at them, her red and white robes slumped to the ground.  
  
"Lady Kaede," Miroku started, "please don't scare us like that, especially when we are evasdropping..." She shut up at the look of the expression on her face. On eyebrow was rasied in question.   
  
"Inuyasha and Kagome are in there talking," Shippou explained.   
  
"Are thee?"  
  
Shippou nodded. "Kouga broke Inuya..."  
  
"Kouga? Is he in the village?" Kaede got worried.   
  
Sango shook her head. "No. Thankfully. Inuyasha and Kagome got rid of him, I think."  
  
"Ye think?"  
  
"Just what we have heard from their conversation," Miroku spoke up. "Kagome told Kouga to return to his pack."  
  
Kaede nodded. She motioned for them to follow her. "Inuyasha knows ye are out here. Let us give them some privacy, shall we?"  
  
Sango and Miroku blushed a little. Shippou whined. But they listened to the old priestess anyway and followed her away from the hut.   
  
Inside, Inuyasha growled as he managed to sit up, his broken arm out of place again.  
  
Kagome flinched. "I said sorry."   
  
One of Inuyasha's ears flicked a little in the direction of the window. They were gone. He could relax. He sighed.  
  
Kagome blinked in confusion at him. "Something... wrong?"  
  
"Hmm?" Using his good arm and grabbed his bad arm and jerked it back into a place. His teeth ground together painfully, but he didn't make a sound. "No." He looked up at her. "Why?"  
  
"You seem kind of quiet now that they've left." Kagome glanced toward the window.  
  
"You knew they were there?"  
  
She nodded. "I could hear them. I didn't want to say anything though."  
  
Inuyasha just nodded.   
  
Kagome scooted closer and got back to work on cleaning his wounds. The top of his fire-rat komono lay to the side, his white shirt laying around his waist.   
  
They sat there for some time, Kagome taking care of the injured hanyou, silence bewteen the two.   
  
"I'm sorry," came the whispear.  
  
Kagome's hand stopped in mid air. Did she hear correctly?  
  
"Excuse me?"   
  
"I said 'I'm sorry'," Inuyasha said a little louder.  
  
Kagome hesitated. "For what?"  
  
"For the past 2 years."  
  
Again, silence.   
  
Inuyasha's head was down, not daring to look at Kagome.  
  
"Inuyasha?" Kagome said softly.  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"What was your wish?"  
  
Inuyasha raised his head to look at her. "My... wish?"  
  
Kagome nodded and reached into her pocket, bringing out the Shikon no Tama. She starred at it for a moment before speaking. "I found it, in a park a short distance from my house. It was in a small cave that had collapsed some time ago."  
  
Inuyasha only nodded.   
  
"And your still hanyou. Not demon, not human. Sango and Miroku said you had made a wish."  
  
He nodded again.   
  
"So what was the wish?"  
  
His eyes averted to look at the floor. A hesitation then, "I asked the Shikon to be able to see you again."  
  
Kagome blinked not really understanding. "But how did it get in the..."  
  
"In the cave?" he finished for her.   
  
She nodded.   
  
He looked up at her, starring into her eyes. "The shikon was purified, I think. And after I made the wish, it started to pulse."  
  
He reached his hand out for the Shikon. Kagome handed it to him.   
  
"I noticed that that pulse started to get stronger as I walked in one direction, then faded in the oppisite direction." He closed his hand over the jewel. "It led me to the cave. There was a magicial barrier at the opening, but I passed through with no problem. I placed the jewel inside, not knowing what else to do with it, then collapsed the tunnel, hoping no demon would ever find it."  
  
"And I found it instead, 500 years later." Kagome reached out and placed a hand on the hand that clutched the jewel.   
  
Inuyasha looked down at her hand. His heart beat sped up. But he wasn't going to tell her that.   
  
"Maybe it was the spirit of Midoriko that led you to that cave," Kagome said, removing her hand and placing it in her lap. "Maybe she was trying to tell us something."  
  
He looked up at her. "Like what?"  
  
"That maybe friends shouldn't fight." She looked down at her lap then back up at him after a pause. "I'm sorry, too, Inuyasha. For leaving the way I did. If I could do it all over..."  
  
Inuyasha grabbed her with his good arm and pulled her to his chest.   
  
Kagome blushed slightly. Then a small amount of tears started to brim her eyes.   
  
Inuyasha tensed at the smell of her tears. He tightened his grip on her small body. "Shhh." He nuzzeled his head into her shoulder. "Please don't cry, Kagome."  
  
"It's just..." A breath. "I've missed you so much, Inuyasha." And then she broke down into snobs.   
  
Inuyasha started to panic. "Kagome! Don't cry!" He pushed her far enough back to look into her face. Her tears were flowing slowly, but she had a smile on her face.  
  
"I'm glad I was able to come back," she said slowly, taking breaths as nessassary to calm her tears.   
  
"It wasn't the same without you. I would have gone through the well to get you but Kik..." He stopped, realizing just who he was about to mention.  
  
Kagome looked at him in confusion. "Kikyo?"  
  
He turned his head away. "Sorry. I shoulnd't have..."  
  
"No. Tell me. What happened to her?" Kagome placed her hand on his knee.   
  
He looked up at her in surprise. Her tears had stopped, her eyes still red and puffy. But she was still beautiful.  
  
And she was listening.   
  
Inuyasha sighed. "It all started the day we defeated Naraku."  
  
"That was 6 days after I left."  
  
"I know that!" he snapped. "Do you want me to tell you or not?"  
  
Kagome nodded with a smile. "Go on."  
  
"Like I was saying, Kikyo came to me the day we defeated Naraku..."  
  
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-  
  
Sorry Guys! Just had to end it there! ^^ The next chapter will be full of fun filled Kikyo*DIE BITCH*and the story to her conlusion. Dare I say dimise? Or even death? Naw. I think I'll keep your little minds wondering if she is still walking the earth or not. What do you think?   
  
Oh, and next chapter will be in Inuyasha's point of view, since he is the one telling the story. Hope you enjoyed this one. JA Ne for now!  
  
Oh, yah. I forgot. Keep those reviews coming. The only reason I updated after only a day is because of the awesome reviews I've been getting. Keep it up!!! More to come. 


	6. A Dog of a Story Part 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha in any way, shape, or form. I give all credit to the great Rumiko Takahashi.  
  
Authors Notes:  
  
Chapter 5: A Dog of a Story Part 1  
  
Inuyasha croutched low behind the bush, using his ears and nose to make out the surrounding area. Naraku had been by a short time ago. He was still nearby.   
  
Inuyasha growled.   
  
Damn him! He already has most of the shards!   
  
Inuyahsa took count. There were the two that Kouga still had, the one keeping Kohaku a prisoner, and the three Kagome kept in her little jar. They couldn't be much left, if at all. It was coming down to the last days of this ongoing battle.  
  
He sniffed the air again, trying to judge which direction Naraku had gone. Mixed in with the evil scent was one more smell, small, and not very strong, but very reconizable. It reaked of death. Of clay. Kikyo.  
  
"What the fuck? Why would she..." but he let the rest of the sentence trail off his toungue. He didn't want to think about it.   
  
Instead he forced his thoughts to turn to Kagome and the others. They were waiting for his return. And the fact that Naraku had been by not too long ago, the thought of them being so near was to close for comfort.   
  
Inuyasha stood, ready to make haste back toward camp to inform the others.   
  
Then he senced it.  
  
A demon.  
  
A small demon, but a demon none the less.  
  
He looked up. A soul snatcher. Kikyo's soul snatcher. And it was carring a soul.  
  
Which meant she was nearby.   
  
He dared a look back toward the direction of camp, then took off after the soul snatcher.   
  
He didn't know what he was going to say once he found her. What did they ever say?   
  
Come to hell with me, Inuyasha?  
  
The same ol' same ol'.   
  
Maybe if his brain decided to work today, he could ask her what she was doing following Naraku. Her scent was slightly newer then his.   
  
But as always with Kikyo, he would probably get toungue-tied, not knowing what to say, except for maybe her name.   
  
He cursed himself for the weakness. Sure, he had loved Kikyo before. Before she had betrayed him, before she had died, before she came back as a vengeful spirit.  
  
Kagome, his mind reminded him.  
  
She WAS the spirit of Kikyo. Kikyo's reincarnation. And Kagome wasn't vengeful at all. Kagome was... Kagome.   
  
Nice. Energetic. Playful. Spirited.  
  
Beautiful, his mind threw in.  
  
And beaut... His thoughts stopped.  
  
"What the hell!" he cursed under his breath. What in Hell's name was he thinking? Kagome? Beautiful?  
  
She's annoying, bossy, bitchy, and childish.  
  
...  
  
Childish. Full of laughter. She had personality.  
  
Something Kikyo never had.   
  
Kikyo had never laughed the way Kagome did. She maybe smiled every so often, but not much else.  
  
Kikyo... Kagome.  
  
One spirit, two completly different people.   
  
Inuyasha stopped running. The soul snatcher was a few minutes away, circling above a very large tree.   
  
Inuyasha slowly walked forward. His sence of smell quickly picked up the unmistakable scent of Kikyo. His eyes confirmed it was here only a few seconds after.  
  
There she was, wearing her red and white miko robes, sitting at the base of the large tree. Her arms were extended, greeting her soul snatchers. The few souls they had collected floated around her.   
  
Inuyasha stopped and starred.   
  
She was beautiful. Even with the stench of death.   
  
And she looked so much like Kagome, only with a more netural expression. Like Kagome... or Kagome more like Kikyo. It went both ways.   
  
Inuyasha knew that Kikyo knew he was there. She was a miko afterall, even if not living. She could still sence his presence. So all he could do was wait for her to acknowledge him. And it didn't take too long.  
  
Kikyo slowly lifted her head. Her eyes locked with his.  
  
"Inuyasha..." she said, just barley above a whispear.  
  
"Kikyo," he acknowledged. He took a step forward.  
  
"Come no closer, Inuyasha." Kikyo was expressionless, but the look in her eyes showed that she meant business.  
  
"Kikyo... why?"  
  
"Why what? Why follow Naraku? Why help Naraku? Why bring you here?"   
  
Inuyasha didn't say anything. Only slightly nodded.  
  
"I knew you would come. So I waited." She paused and shoo'ed her demons away. "He knows your coming for him."  
  
"Maybe."  
  
"He knows your nearby. He's preparing for you. He plans it to be the last battle."  
  
Inuyasha nodded. "And whose side will you take?"  
  
She shook her head. "None."   
  
"Then..."  
  
"Why follow him? Because there is nothing more important to me then his death, and making sure you keep your promise, Inuyasha."  
  
"What promise?"  
  
"To stay with me forever."  
  
Inuyasha swollowed the lump in this thoat. "I'm..." Hestiation. "I'm not going to hell with you."  
  
Kikyo raised an eyebrow at him. "You made me a promise, and I plan to make you keep that promise."  
  
"I have a life now, Kikyo. I have friends."  
  
"And you have my incarnation." Silence. "Am I right?"  
  
"Me and her have nothing..."  
  
"You lie!" Kikyo stood, anger starting to stir her emotions. "I can see it in your eyes. You love her. But your afriad. Your afriad because of what happened to us."  
  
"No, that's not..."  
  
"She's your weakness, Inuyasha. Naraku see's her as his weakness, too. That's why a part of him would rather see us dead. What he loves, you also love, Inuyasha. Me... and her. And he wants to destroy that happiness."  
  
"He did once already."  
  
"And he enjoyed it. He enjoyed it so much that he wants to do it all over again."  
  
"That sick..!"  
  
"If you want my advise, I would make her go back to her time. She doesn't belong here, and she's only putting herself, and you, in danger."  
  
"Why do you care?"  
  
She shrugged. "I don't really. But with her out of the way, you won't want to stay on this planet. And you'll be more then happy to join me in hell."  
  
Kikyo walked up to Inuyasha. He never did make a move to put distance between them. She placed a cold hand on his cheek, running it down his face and to his chest. She leaned into him, and he put an arm around her to keep her from falling.   
  
"When this is all over..."  
  
"What will happen to you?" Inuyasha inquired.  
  
Kikyo smiled into his chest. "I will either be killed for the second time, or you will join me by my side in hell."  
  
Inuyasha pulled her to arms length. "I told you..."  
  
"And a promise must be kept. To stay with me forever."  
  
Inuyasha shook his head. "Please Kikyo. Try to understand."  
  
"I do understand!" She pulled roughly away from him. "You love her! But I will make your life hell," she smiled at her own pun, "and take away from you what was taken from me."  
  
"And what was taken from you?"  
  
"My soul."  
  
"That's not true.. your soul... it was reborn."  
  
"Into someone I dispise."  
  
"You don't even know her!"  
  
Kikyo spun on her heels and walked back to her soul snatchers.  
  
"I'm tired." She turned back to face him as her demons circled around her. "Even after this battle, I will to be around, Inuyasha. And even after this battle, demons will still keep coming to look for the Shikon no Tama. And even if a wish is made, by you or Naraku, the gate that leads to my incarnations world will be sealed. She cannot stay here even if she wanted to."  
  
Inuyasha had no replie.  
  
"Heed my warning, Inuyasha. For both your saftey's. If she stays here, she will always be in danger. It's better to ignore those feelings, then to long in them." She started to be lifted up. "The faster you forget, the faster the pain will heal." And she was gone.  
  
Inuyasha took a few steps forward, then dashed to the spot Kikyo had been. He looked up, but she was gone.  
  
"What did she mean?"  
  
He didn't understand her at all. Some of it made since, like Kagome being in danger all the time, but it was becasue of the Shikon....  
  
He shook his head to clear his mind. It was getting late. They would probably be looking for him.   
  
And then a thought struck him.   
  
NARAKU!  
  
He was still in the area.   
  
Without a second thought, he took off at top speed, racing through the trees, keeping low. Jumping the treetops would be a bad idea, just in case Naraku or one of his offspring were around. He just hoped Kagome was okay. 


	7. A Dog of a Story Part 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha in any way, shape, or form. I give all credit to the great Rumiko Takahashi.  
  
Authors Notes: I would like to say Thanks to the few reviewers that have made it possible for me to continue this story. And I owe in part to the other fanfics I've been reading latley. They've given me some great ideas.   
  
Good News: Fluff in this chapter!   
  
Bad News: This story is coming close to an end. Two more chapters to go. *sigh*   
  
And as always, PLEASE REVIEW! Thanks!!! ^^  
  
Chapter 5: A Dog of a Story Part 2  
  
"So she only cared about my saftey...."  
  
"So I would be willing to go with her," Inuyasha finished for her.   
  
Kagome shook her head. "Unbelievable."  
  
Inuyasha sighed. "Things only get stranger."  
  
"Hmm?" Kagome looked up at him.   
  
"I didn't see Kikyo again until after you left." He looked Kagome straight in the eye. "That day, I was trying to tell you that I couldn't go with you, because I had to fullfill my promise to her."  
  
"And you did, ne?"  
  
"I tried. But it didn't work out the way you'd think."  
  
~*~*  
  
"Kikyo..."  
  
"It's time Inuyasha." The dead miko laid on a large rock. Her soul snatchers flying about her worried.   
  
"I know I made a promise. To go to Hell and be with you forever... but..."  
  
She raised an eyebrow when he said "but".   
  
"...but you are not going to hell, so I only have one last promise to make. To stay with you forever."  
  
Kikyo shook her head and laughed. "What makes you think I'm not going to hell? This body will not last much longer. I shall be nothing more then clay."  
  
"Your right.. you will die," Inuyasha started. "But in order for me to keep my promise to you, I must stay alive."  
  
A pause as she tried to think that through. "And how, Inuyasha, can you think that?"  
  
"Because, Kagaome is your reincarnation. You don't go to hell. You go back into her body."  
  
Kikyo's eye widened at this realization. "Never!" she spat. "I don't want to be a part of her. I don't want to be her."  
  
"And you won't be. You are completly different people. But you share the same soul, and it was the soul I swore to remain with. Not with the body."  
  
Kikyo glared at him. "You tricked me!"   
  
"No, you always used the guilt of your death aganist me. I am only telling you how I see it."  
  
Kikyo narrowed her eyes at him. "What have you done with the rude and arragant Inuyasha that I know?"  
  
Inuyasha shook his head. "Kagome loves me. As you once did. But she accepts me for ME. She never asked me to become human." Inuyasha took a step back. "I'm sorry, Kikyo. About what happened to you, to us. But it ends here. Naraku is dead. I killed that bastard for you." He growled softly. "Your revenge is complete. It's time for you to rest."  
  
"And rest I shall not!" she yelled, then winced. She yelped suddenly, as if in pain. Her body relaxed onto of the rock, her breathing shallow.  
  
"Kikyo!" Inuyasha rushed to her side. He looked down upon her.   
  
Her eyes were barley ajar. One hand reached up and cupped his cheek. "This is it," she said with some trouble. "The souls will no longer sustain me."  
  
Inuyasha nodded, silent.  
  
Kikyo's soul snatchers, holding some souls, flew around her in a worried manner.   
  
Kikyo's breaths were coming and going is sharp gasps now. Her eyes closed for the final time. "Inuyasha..." she whispeared. "I'm sorry. May the next life bring us closer together." Then silence. All movement stopped. Kikyo's chest did not rise again.   
  
A few seconds later, all the souls she had kept inside of her were released, sprining into the air. They all flew up, as if dancing around one another, until Inuyasha could no longer see them. And watch he did for quite some time after that, holding the lifeless clay figure, shedding only a single tear.   
  
"Kagome..." he whispeared. "I lied... I... I can't be with you."   
  
Inuyasha felt a tug at his heart. He looked down. The small Shikon that he had around his neck was pulsing. He tugged at the chain and just starred at the Shikon for a moment. With his mind made up, he pocketed the small jewel.  
  
Over the next few hours Inuyasha managed to bury Kikyo's remains under the great Goshinboku, praying her soul find its destination to the right era. Oh, how he prayed that it did.  
  
After that buisness he addressed Kaede about Kikyo, telling her that Kikyo was back where she belonged. He never did elbaorate on anything else.   
  
Then he turned back to the jewel. He sat by the well, looking down into its depths, taking in the very faint smell of Kagome. Her tears, her clothes, her hair, and the very faint smell of lavender that seems to drift from her. Her was clutching the jewel in his hand, afraid to go to her, but missing her, too.  
  
One last time, his mind told him. One last time, to keep the promise.  
  
Taking a deep breath, Inuyasha jumped into the well, taking him far into the future.   
  
~*~  
  
"Wait!" Kagoem cried, stopping him in the middle of this story.  
  
"What!?" he questioned, obviously mad that she had interupted.  
  
"You went through the well?"  
  
Inuyasha nodded. "Yah. I was going to, um, appoligize..."  
  
"Oh." Kagome blushed and looked down into her lap. "Then why... why didn't you make yourself known?" Inuyasha smelt tears coming. "If I had known... if I had just seen you... once... then... then... I don't think I would have cried as much... or tried to forget about you."  
  
"Kagome..." Inuyasha started to panic. He hated seeing her cry. It was worse then seeing Kikyo's death. He pulled her to him, resting his chin on top of her head. Her hair was soft and smelt like a mixture of honey and vanilla.   
  
Her crying became even louder when he pulled her to him. He couldn't calm her. She was going to cry. All because he hadn't had the nerve to approach her.  
  
~*~  
  
Inuyasha slid open the door of the well house. It was already dark out, but the flashlights that came from Kagome's town were lighting the sky up pretty well.   
  
Lucky for him, though, most of those lights dimmed by the time it reached the shrine, and Inuyasha was cast moslty in the dark shadows. It only took him a few strides and three jumps to get into the tree outside of Kagome's window. Her certain was pulled shut, the window just slightly cracked open. He could easily smell the salt in the air from the tears Kagome must have shed earlier.   
  
He listened intently for any sounds coming from inside. There were two. A clicking sound from what Kagome called a clock, and the shallow breathing from one tired girl. She was asleep.  
  
Careful to remain quiet, Inuyasha pulled open the window and jumped inside, landing silently on the window sill. Now that the girl was visible, he could she that she faced the wall, a dark stan on the pillow next to her head. He flinched. Tears.  
  
And it was because of him.  
  
He sighed and settled himself into the room. Brushing past her desk, he noticed a picture frame lying face down. Curious, he picked it up and setted it back up. He looked at it. It was the one picture Kagome had taken with her cam-ra of the two of them. He had his arms crossed, standing slightly to the left in the picture. Kagome happily had her arms wrapped around her neck from behind, and her legs lifted into the air, as if she had just jumped on him. Her eyes were closed and a large smile played on her beautiful face.   
  
A movement.  
  
Inuyasha froze for a second. He turned to look at Kagome. He let go of his breath. She had just moved in her sleep. Her shallow breathing told him that she had not waken.  
  
He walked over the bed and looked down at her. She was now laying on her back, her left arm hidding the covers, while her right arm was bent, resting on her pillow. Her head was turne toward the wall, a small piece of her hair lying on her exposed cheek.  
  
Inuyasha couldn't help but smile. The faint light streaming in from the open window eluminated her features in the dark room. He reached toward her, his hand brushing the lock of dark hair off her face.   
  
Her head jerked at his touch. "Inuyasha..." she almost seemed to whimper.   
  
Inuyasha pulled back. She had said his name in her sleep.   
  
Depression hit Inuyasha like a ton of bricks. Her she was, beautiful, full of life, love, and personality. And here he was, a hanyou, non-pure, arrogant, rude, barbaric. He sighed one last time.   
  
Walking back to the window, he glanced once more at her. "I'm sorry, Kagome." Then he pushed the curtain to the side and jumped out.   
  
He raced to the well house and jumped into the well, his breathing hard. He had to get out of there. If not, he didn't think he could ever leave. And she didn't need him there. She had her own life to live. Without him.   
  
On the other side, Inuyasha leaned against the frame of the well. His head was downcast, his bangs over shadowing his face. The dark sky was filled with stars, some bright, some not so. The same stars he had been looking at in the two years he and Kagome had been together.   
  
He remembered the jewel that had allowed him, and Kagome, to travel through the well. He pulled it out of his pocket. It glowed a soft pink. He growled.   
  
This damn jewel is the cause of all my pain, he thought to himself. But it also brought everyone to you, his mind reminded him.  
  
Inuyasha sighed.   
  
"I just wish I could see her again," he said softly, more to himself then anyone who might be listening. But the jewel heard. And the soft pink color started to deepen.   
  
"What the!" Inuyasha shouted, jumping up and holding the jewel out to arms length. Then the jewel flashed its bright light, blinding Inuyasha and covering the area with its glow.   
  
The light suddenly vanished as fast as it had appeared. Inuyasha was left standing in the clearing, his hand extended, with nothing in it. He blinked a couple of times to get his bearings straight.   
  
Yah, the jewel is gone alright, his mind told him. But yet, his hand never left its spot in the air.   
  
Just as he was about tire a strange thing happened. It surprised him.  
  
As if by magic, or maybe the power of a miko, the jewel, with its soft glow, and pink crystaline shape, materalized in the palm of his hand, from top to bottom. It was whole, but very dull in color. The shade of pink was bland, and the small glow that did emit from it came from the center, as if reaching out.  
  
'Done'.  
  
A single word seemed to float through the air, or perhaps it was just inside his head? Whatever it was, he got the feeling that his business with the jewel was finished. He had made his wish, unknown to him because of a slight slip of the tongue. He was not demonm, and not human. He was as he was born. A hanyou. The jewel and wish he had worked so hard for...   
  
...but...   
  
...he didn't care. He had made the most important wish he could think of. Now it was only a matter of time, he hoped. 


End file.
